The first video for Lauri is recorded! Thanks to all the great people involved and thanks to Amanda!!! Never laught this much in years! Im so pleased with the hole recording.This will be killer video!!! /Owe

Interview with The Rasmus – Moscow 2012Interviewer: Okay, so, The Rasmus: your first time in Moscow, right?Lauri: No. We were just counting – maybe we have been here, like, eight times?Interviewer: Okay.Lauri: Something like that.Interviewer: Do you remember the first time?Lauri: I remember the first time. Uhh, it was, ahh, maybe ’98. We played in St. Petersburg. We were just starting our band in ’94, so we were kind of young band and they were doing this band exchange with bands in Russia coming to Finland to playInterviewer: Do you remember which Russian bands they were?Lauri: Spitfire was one of them, and they played in a very small club, only for like 200 people, maybe. Maybe it was only 100 people or so, and then we went over to play there, and it was really…we played in this freaky basement.Interviewer: Okay, so it’s not like that anymore?Lauri: It’s different nowadays. It’s much more like…we felt like we were like backpackers and we’re just going to explore the world and now we actually stay in these beautiful hotels.Interviewer: I’m checking your Facebook – The Rasmus Facebook – and you say you’ve put on a lot of shows recently. You’ve been on tour for five weeks right?Lauri: Yes.Interviewer: Now it’s almost over, can you remember which is the best gig, the best concert, the best show in 2012? Which one?Aki: Well, I have a memory. We played a show, about 3 or 4 months ago, in Moscow. It was this festival with Linkin Park.Interview: You remember that?Aki: Yeah.Interviewer: And that was the most remarkable show?Aki: Well, that was a really nice festival.Lauri: I think it was the biggest show this year for us.Aki: Yeah, about 60,000 people.Lauri: Yeah.Interviewer: Okay, so next question. Which was the worst one?Eero: It’s funny, because on this tour we’ve been using a recording message before the encore to ask if people want more of the show – It’s funny because we’re not there when the message comes up – and on one day, the recording message didn’t work…and we just got this message like “The message is not on” and we thought like “Okay, maybe we shouldn’t have done that way” because we started off like it was going to be very special, but it became like a total disaster. Because we started off with the acoustical part cause the technic wasn’t working properly and then also the message didn’t work and we kept having technical pronlems so it was almost kind of private acoustic show not on purpose. it was one of our worst concerts.Lauri: All these faces like *pulls sad face and imitates tears*Interview: In what country did this happen?Lauri: It was in France, in Cannes. Nice city, by the way. It was our first time there.Interviewer: Was it summer time?Lauri: Uh, no, this was like two weeks ago, but it was actually quite nice. He went to swim on the beach *pointing at Eero* and it was still a little bit warm.Interviewer: Ahh, but you are from Finland, of course!Lauri: Yeeeees.Eero: Yes, it was nice, but then it started to rain.Interviewer: That’s nice. And now because you’re quite stylish guys, we are talking about hair. I remember, you once dyed your hair blonde? Years ago, right?Lauri: Yes.Interviewer: Have you dyed it like that or is it your natural colour?Lauri: This is my natural colour. It’s natural *grins**everyone laughs*Lauri: I love to talk about my hair!Interviewer: Okay, so what about these feathers? Is it to do with your nickname or anything?Lauri: Yeah, it became my nickname. ‘Lintu’, it means like ‘bird’. But I think it also sort of symbolises freedom and maybe it also has some kind of Indian vibes to it as well in there.Interviewer: Are you wearing these all the time at home or just when you’re on the stage?Lauri: Uhm, depending on the feeling. But I guess it’s little bit my alter-ego also.Interviewer: Okay. Do you believe in reincarnation? I mean, maybe you were a bird?Eero: I think that…after life and new life…I don’t have any experience of that…Interviewer: Do you spend your Christmas or New Year’s Eve on the stage?Lauri: I don’t think we ever played a Christmas night – a gig on Christmas Eve. Somehow we’ve always had holidays during that time. Uhm, like now also the last gig is on the 16th and we have like one month just off and everybody goes on holiday or whatever.Interviewer: Since you spend a lot of time together, two of you live somewhere else so you’ll be spending time there on this break? Some of you in Italy, right?Eero: I used to live in Italy.Interviewer: Used to live?Eero: Yeah.Interviewer: I thought that you moved the whole family over there. That’s what I read in Wikipedia.Eero: Yeah, that’s true. And we had a very nice experience, but the only problem was I had to go to Finland to work so there was too much travel.Interviewer: So you do reside in Italy?Eero: No, I’m back in Finland now.Interviewer: With your family?Eero: Yeah.Interviewer: Okay. So how will you spend your holidays?Eero: I think I’ll spend it in Finland.Interviewer: Okay.Eero: All of my family is there in Finland so…Interviewer: Ahh, so you’re not going out into the world? Just familyEero: Yeah.Interviewer: Okay. I will ask all of you guys about where you’re going to spend your vacation later, but the question now is: if the end of the world is truly happening, and you have to sing the last song of the human race, which song?Lauri: Err, Perfect Day.Interviewer: *laughs*Lauri: Maybe. It’s the perfect song.Interviewer: And you decide for all the band, right?Lauri: Yeah, I’m the boss.Aki: Yeah, he’s the boss.Eero: He’s just the front guy. * points at Lauri*Interviewer: And you are the one who writes all the songs, yes?Lauri: Yes.Interviewer: As a foursome, or?Lauri: Yeah, us two *indicates him and Pauli*, or altogether sometimes, it depends, you know. Sometimes like our biggest song ‘In The Shadows’ was written sort of by accident. We were just jamming something in the soundcheck before the concert and that came sort of out of nowhere. So sometimes you just need good luck to write a good song.Interviewer: Do you listen to other bands’ music?Lauri: Only. I mean, why would we listen to our own music?Interviewer: What do you think of this guy from Korea? The guy who has like one million views on youtube, *makes hand movements* Err, Psy?Eero: Yeah, that was odd… that was like all over the world, like can you explain that?Interviewer: Yeah, you can’t explain that! I mean, why?Eero: But yeah, that was kind of strange feeling seeing people dancing around to it, it’s not a big hit.Lauri: I was kind of disappointed…Interviewer: *mumbles something*Lauri: I was disappointed when I saw…Eero starts dancing and everyone laughs.Interviewer: And you?Lauri: I was disappointed when I saw it because I thought it was going to be something great, you know like “Yes, everybody’s talking about it!” and then I saw the video and I was like *unimpressed face*Interviewer: Maybe you envy this guy?Lauri: Yeah, maybe I secretly envy him, and that’s why I said…Interviewer: So is there any song by any other band that you actually think “Wow, I want to be the author of this song!” No?Pauli: Well *starts to say something, but Lauri interrupts*Interviewer: You’re not allowed to say anything?Pauli: No, only boss man!Lauri: Boss man is going to speak! Silence!*laughter*Lauri: Uhh, I’ve been into a lot of electronic music, and uhh, discovered a lot of new artists to me – bands like Nero and (can’t quite hear) – this guy, I don’t know if they’ve released anything special this year, but it’s been cool to discover new artists and sort of new genre.Interviewer: Who do you consider who your competition is? Which bands?Lauri: Well…I don’t…Eero: Personally I don’t think there is that feeling that “Oh, we have to be better than somebody”Interviewer: Oh really?Lauri: Yeah. We’ve had…we’ve always been compared to other Finnish bands obviously because there’s a lot of great bands coming from our country, like HIM, Apocalyptica, Nightwish and all these bands. But actually what we’ve done is we’ve been kind of supporting each other in a way. We’ve been touring with each other. We actually played here in Moscow, big concerts, maybe 8 years ago –Aki: Six years.Lauri: Yeah, a couple of years ago anyway. HIM and Negative was with us, and, you know, somehow the bands sort of keep in touch and do things together. We have recorded songs together – once we did a song together with Apocalyptica and HIM and us, all three bands come together to do a song. It’s very special.Interviewer: As far as I remember, you founded the Dynasty union – err, what do you call it? It’s not a union, it’s…what do you call it? How do you describe it?Lauri: Yeah, we have this tattoo *shows his tattoo* Pauli also has one *points to Pauli’s tattoo*Interviewer: *to Eero* Can you show your jacket?Eero: Yeah, I have the same *gets up and shows his jacket*Lauri: Yeah.Interviewer: Cool. So where did it come from? What does it mean?Lauri: Well, it’s kind of a band family that we put up together like ten years ago and, uh, we used to have Dynasty Studios as well and the record label that we actually still have, we release some smaller artists from Finland. And, uhm, it’s sort of like a little hobby for us besides The Rasmus to do something like this, but I definitely think that for all of us we have the main focus on the band and whatever else we do it’s just a nice bonus.Eero: I think that when you’re in the creative work and everything rotates you, and everyone wants to do something similar and then, you kind of go back and forth like this you kind of realise more and when they are doing something , let’s say that we have a friend who’s a film director and he’s teaching me, like how you create stuff.Interviewer: One thing that I notice on – you have your own site, right? This one? *shows Lauri on screen*Lauri: Yes.Interviewer: And the last record in the blog was one year ago on December 30th 2011. So, you stopped doing your blog or you stopped doing your solo project? What does it mean?Lauri: Well I have the solo project and I do them sort of out of sync. Like now I’m doing Rasmus and we’ve been touring with the band and next year I will put out the next solo album and I’ll work on that in the spring again.Interviewer: So why change your mind? You focused on your solo career for a year and then changed your mind and went back to the band?Lauri: Um, yeah, but it’s like uhh…I think it’s very creative to have these two ways to go because every time I start doing something for the solo it becomes a Rasmus song or whatever. I don’t know, the more I do, the more ideas come all the time, it’s like a relief.Interviewer: So back to Christmas vacation. Where are you going to spend it? Don’t tell me that it’s in Helsinki!Lauri: No, in Egypt.Interviewer: In Egypt?Lauri: Yes.Interviewer: That isn’t too dangerous nowadays?Lauri: Well, yeah, I don’t know. If I climb on the top of the pyramids, I will sleep safely up there.Interviewer: You’re going to spend your Christmas in a land where there’s no safety and, you know, help?Lauri: Yeah, maybe I have to be the spastic one in the band.Interviewer: *laughs* And what about you?Aki: Uhh, I will leave to Thailand. Get some tan, I look so pale.Interviewer: For how long?Aki: Uhh, I stay three weeks.Interviewer: With the family?Aki: Yeah.Interviewer: Ahh, it’s never a good idea to take the family to another country, but *everyone laughs*. And what about you?Pauli: I will be on a boat.Interviewer: You have your own boat?Pauli: No.Interviewer: You’re going to rent one?Pauli: Yes, I will. I’m going to go and see it on Christmas Eve.Interviewer: You have not seen it yet?Pauli: No.Interviewer: It’s so not usual I mean all the technic..Pauli: Yes but I can.Interviewer: So you’re the only one who’s going to spend your…Eero: Maybe it’s the reason that they’ll all go off and relax and then when we come to make music again, they will be happier.Interviewer: And your wives, they know each other? That means you have wives, right?Aki: *showing his ring finger* Uh, no! *laughs*NOOO.Interviewer: But you are going to propose?Aki: * laughs *Lauri: Good question!Interviewer: But your kids, they know each other?Lauri: Yes. I mean, if we are –Interviewer: You have a son, right?Lauri: Yes. If we are in Finland at the same time, we often have a barbecue together, you know, with all our friends and all our kids. At my place, for example, or Eero’s place.Interviewer: You have a place in Helsinki?Lauri: Yes.Interviewer: With your boy?Lauri: Yes.Interviewer: The rest of you are from different towns in Finland?Aki: Well I’m from the next town over, Espoo. *hi-fives Lauri*Pauli: We three are from Helsinki. *pointing to him, Lauri and Eero*Lauri: en kylässä *whispers to Aki * (means: I’m in the village)Interviewer: So how did you meet?Eero: We were in the same school *pointing to Lauri*Interviewer: So it was originally a school band?Eero: Yes. And then after school we became Rasmus. It was just that one character.Interviewer: Originally you were Rasmus without the character, no ‘the’ just Rasmus, and then you have chosen the name of The Rasmus. Why?Lauri: Uh, there was a little confusion because there was an artist called Rasmus, it was this DJ guy.Interviewer: This cartoon artist?*laughter*Lauri: Yeah, cartoon. Him. But yeah, we met a long time ago. Like the first time I played together with him *points to Eero* we were eight years old…or ten years old. We were on the third grade already. He used to play bass and I played drums at that time.Interviewer: Do you think that your son will become a musician?Lauri: I don’t know.Interviewer: Would you like him to become a musician?Lauri: …well, it’s a nice job, it’s a good hobby, but it’s quite difficult, in a way, to make your living out of it.Interview: Oh really?Lauri: Yeah…I think it’s…you know, it’s not the most easiest job…Interviewer: *to the others* And what about your daughters?Eero: I agree. I mean, the eldest one plays the violin and the youngest one is slowly learning the guitar.Interviewer: Do they have a band?Eero: Erem, I don’t know. I mean, they’re still a bit small to know what they like, They also like SpongbobInterviewer: So what about your daughter?Pauli: Er, I have a son.Interviewer: Oh, I’m sorry. *Apologises in Latin (mea culpa – means my fault), then laughter*Pauli: That’s okay. I’m the same as Eero. If he’ll be a musician I don’t know, let’s see.Interviewer: Okay. So what do you think about the situation of the music you play? It’s a big time of *inaudible* it’s in the past, right? Or do you believe in the future there will be another peak of interest to the kind of music that you play?Lauri: I believe that all these trends of music will come and go, and it will be crazy to always try to jump on the fastest train. You know, we’re always doing music which we feel comes out of us naturally and we feel is good, you know, and maybe when In The Shadows came out in 2003, it was just the perfect timing for that type of song, and everything worked perfectly. We’ve been doing the same…Interviewer: That was your big breakthrough. You made the great so…I think you want more hits or you just gave up?Eero: That’s a bit like saying “Oh yeah, here’s a new hit song!” and…Interviewer: Oh no, it’s understood that it’s a one hit wonder, but then the next thing is that no one will remember you.Eero: No way. Possibly mentions something about another artist*Interviewer: Yeah, and he stays there where he is because it’s a one hit wonder. What about you, what?Pauli: I think for us it’s different because we’re always changing. Like Lauri said, we jump on any fast train, but we have to believe in it ourselves, so the music comes from our hearts and we can’t do any of the *does strange hand movements*Interviewer: So it’s good…Pauli: Of course, we agree that it’s good to have hits…*everyone laughs as Lauri mimics strange hand movement*Interviewer: But when you think about your career, do you consider it like it’s in the middle or… not finished, not like that, but what do you… in your career band, which point are you at?Eero: I think that we’re always thinking about what’s happening next and even back in ’94, we were sitting in the same room writing stuff like “Hey, it would be cool to do this and that” and it’s still like this so…I don’t know… *looks to Lauri for help*Lauri: Yeah, but at this point of our career, I started to really appreciate the fact that we have such a long history. It’s 18 years together and we have 8 albums out and we’ve gone through so many things together and we have quite a strength in the band because of that. And I start to feel a little bit nostalgic playing some old songs like uh… on this tour because I feel like maybe this is not exactly who I am at the moment with this song, but I remember those times when I wrote this down. I was 21! *crazy face*, you know, and it feels good!Interviewer: Do you consider the idea of an album with remixes of your hits by some DJ?Eero: The DJ thing is very popular right now because of David Guetta and all this, but I think that we would never release something like that, not only because it’s not us, but it’s a strange way of making music if you don’t have the instinct for that inside yourself, really.Interviewer: What do you think of your loyal fans? I mean people who used to listen to your music 10 years ago, are they still with you?Lauri: Some of them are. Even people who were there 18 years ago, they still come to us sometimes like “I went to your first concert and by the way, this is my son, Rasmus” and they give their children our names.Interviewer: Oh really? I noticed on your Facebook there’s really great numbers of people who come to your gigs, to your shows, and you’re reaching new fans.Lauri: That’s a good thing, if it is so. Some countries are different, though. Some countries, like in Poland, on this tour, in Poland we seem to have a kind of younger audience than in Germany for example. I don’t know why.Interviewer: There’s only one minute left and I know you’re hungry –Lauri: YES!Interviewer: So the next question will be about your favourite meals or your favourite food.Eero: Seljanka.Interviewer: Seljanka? It’s a Finnish…it’s Finnish cuisine, right? *laughs* What about you?Lauri: Ahh ooo, that’s a difficult one! I kind of like Japanese and also Italian.Aki: Yeah, mine is Thailand.Pauli: *shrugs* Everything.Interviewer: So I wish you bon appetite and I wish you great success and I have to admit that I’m your fan. I mean it.Lauri: I’m your fan.Interviewer: Hah?Lauri: I’m your fan too.Interviewer: Ahh, no, no, I meant that.Lauri: I meant that too.*general laughter*Interviewer: Okay! Well thank you for coming. Thank you.Translation by trtina and Liz